Torso (Japan, 2009)

A seemingly normal office worker Hiroko has a secret. At home she lives with a prosthetic torso - no head, arms or feet, just body and male private part. Hiroko bathes with the torso and she also makes love with the torso at night. Hiroko's secret life is interrupted when her outgoing sister Mina rings her doorbell. Mina is running away from her abusive boyfriend and wants to stay at Hiroko's home ...

Reading the synopsis for Torso it's reasonable to think it's a oddball comedy, but in reality it's a surprisingly deep character drama dealing with sisterhood and unconventional emotions. The film doesn't focus on anyone else than Hiroko and her sister Mina so we're constantly between them in all their arguments and laughs, showing off the contrast of their sisterly personalities. Director Yutaka Yamasaki has on a few occasions been cinematographer for Hirokazu Koreeda and it shows in the intimate camerawork and closeness to the characters.

Genre: Drama. 1h 44min.

Zen (Japan, 2009)

'Zen' Buddhist teacher Dogen Zenji is a very important religious person during the Kamakura period, 750 years ago. After his mother died, he decides to move to China and settle as a Buddhist teacher. One bright morning, enlightened, Zenji returns to Japan as a devoted evangelist of the 'new' Buddhism. However, this new form of Buddhism is not accepted in all communities.

Zen is a very good film for history buffs, and should be seen by anyone who has so much as a fleeting interest in Buddhism. It doesn't at all feel like the dry pages from a schoolbook but way more engrossing and inviting, with beautiful scenery to boot. The actors performances are consistently believable and it never goes overboard with the story, but basically chronicles one man's ambition and journey through the land with his teachings, which somehow never gets boring but only more interesting.    

Genre: Biography/Drama

Kakera: A Piece of Our Life (Japan, 2009)

The story of the relationship between a college student whose relationship with her boyfriend is going nowhere and a bisexual medical artist who makes prosthetic body parts.

It's always liberating with films like Kakera which doesn't feel the need to limit itself to heteronormativity. I've heard that the Japanese are decades behind in terms of sexuality and stigma concerning relationships outside the norm. 

Director Momoko Ando is greatly aware of the prejudice in our society towards different kinds of sexual orientations and mirrors that with characters you'd be happy to slap in the face and one in particular raises some problematic issues due to how he's allowed to continue, but that trash bag aside, Kakera portrays two women with different experiences who're discovering  a strong attraction between themselves. 

Genre: Drama

Macabre (Indonesia, 2009)

Two newly weds Adjie and Astrid, along with 3 of their best friends decided to have an interstate road trip as a last attempt to reconcile Adjie with his estranged little sister Ladya. Their trip is however abruptly interrupted when they run into Maya, a strange girl out of nowhere, who wanders aimlessly into their path. "I've been robbed" is all she has to say. The friends unanimously decided to give her a ride to her isolated house by the end of the woods. Maya introduces Adjie and friends to her blue-blooded mother Dara, a woman of ageless enigma and few spoken words.

Macabre draws a lot of its premise and chock horror straight from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and when the chainsaw is coming out you'll giggle at the resemblance. Nonetheless, Macabre is filled to the brim with blood and gore. People are getting butchered, stabbed and shot left and right. I haven't checked up on it, but Macabre is said to be the first Indonesian slasher flick which sounds terribly late considering it was released in 2009. More originality would have done wonders but for now we'll just have to settle for Indonesia Chainsaw Massacre, which of course isn't bad at all.

Genre: Horror

The Forbidden Door (Indonesia, 2009)

Gambir is an artist who on the surface seems to lead a charmed life - he's been enjoying critical and commercial success and is married to lovely Talyda. But Talyda's parents are bankrolling his posh lifestyle, he's struggling with impotence and a low sperm count, and when his struggle to have a child with Talyda finally bears fruit, she opts to have an abortion, and then demands Gambir place the fetus inside one of his sculptures. As Gambir struggles to make sense of his internal chaos, his friend Dandung tells him about a secret club for people struggling with questions they can't answer. However, Gambir has a hard time articulating the mystery behind his agony, and he becomes convinced the key to it all lurks behind a locked door he's found in the basement.

The Forbidden Door is a kind of trippy horror film which I've seen been mentioned in listings of top horror films some few years ago. For some reason I never got around watching but now I'm glad that I have. Horror from Indonesia is something I've been looking for many times and The Forbidden Door makes me realize there's must be a ton of great ones out there. Not terrifyingly scary but very satisfying and interesting. 

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Horror

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva (Japan, 2009)

Archeologist and avid puzzle solver Professor Layton and his assistant Luke think back to one of their earliest cases together... Famed singer Janice Quatlane requests Layton's help after a strange meeting with a little girl. The girl claims to posses eternal life and to be the reincarnation of Janice's friend Melina. Layton and Luke attend Janice's new opera. At the end of the performance, the guests are startled to find that the entire opera house has been converted into a ship and a mystery man now holds them all captive. The man forces them to solve a series of riddles. The winner will receive the secret to eternal life, but it could mean death for the losers....

The Eternal Diva is based on a popular Japanese puzzle adventure video game series, starring the titular Professor Layton and his young apprentice Luke. The games are full of brainteasers and puzzles that the players has to solve in order to progress the story. In this movie though, you can shamelessly leave the thinking to Professor Layton. It's not really a big deal if you haven't played the games before watching this film, though it's definitely a plus. It has both the charm and wonderful music that enrich the games. Accordions, dark humor and a great cast of characters. I love it all. The very characteristic design is also spot on. Movies based on video games are seldom any good, they're pretty much horrible every time actually, but The Eternal Diva is a fun and mystical adventure worthy of its title, and I hope there'll be more Professor Layton films in the future.

Genre: Animation/Adventure

Symbol (Japan, 2009)

A man wakes up alone in a brightly illuminated white room with no windows or doors. When he presses a mysteriously phallic protuberance that appears on one wall, a pink toothbrush materializes from nowhere, clattering to the floor and setting in motion a genuinely bizarre chain of events. Soon the imprisoned man is engaged in absurd attempts to escape the gleaming room, releasing random objects from the walls, Meanwhile, in a dusty town, a green masked Mexican wrestler known as Escargot Man prepares for an important match.

Symbol is a film that's half hilarious and half crazy. It's wonderfully incomprehensible for the larger part of the film, until you start to see the bigger picture. It was made by the same guy who directed the also very funny and also bizarre Big Man Japan (2007). If you want to see something whacky and different from most other films, Symbol is one of your safest bets.  

Genre: Comedy/Fantasy

Merantau (Indonesia, 2009)

Yuda, a skilled practitioner of Silat Harimau is in the final preparations to begin his "Merantau" a century's old rites-of-passage to be carried out by the community's young men that will see him leave the comforts of his idyllic farming village and make a name for himself in the bustling city of Jakarta. After a series of setbacks leave Yuda homeless and uncertain about his new future, a chance encounter results in him defending the orphaned Astri from becoming the latest victim of a European human trafficking ring led by the wildly psychotic, Ratger and his right-hand man Lars.

The sheer force of the fighting sequences are reason enough to watch this explosive fist fighting madness made by the same director who gave us the incredible action fests The Raid 1 & 2, and Merantau also features the same actor in the lead role. Satisfying bone crunching goodness and fight choreography that makes Hollywood productions green with envy, Merantau should please every viewer that's looking for a fight.

Genre: Action

White Night (South Korea, 2009)

A pawnbroker is found murdered in a remote town. Police suspect that he was murdered by an acquaintance, as even the most experienced investigator on the case could identify no signs of resistance. Three people come under suspicion but all of them have perfect alibis and the investigation comes to a standstill. Almost fifteen years pass and the lead inspector, now approaching retirement, reflects on the only case he could not solve in an otherwise successful career. Haunted by a sense of responsibility and guilt that he caused suffering by letting the murder case go unsolved, he decides to re-investigate.

White Night is one of the better thriller's I've seen in a long time. It has a great cast, stunning camera work and is just as intense and exciting you want a thriller to be. It's a little longer than two hours, so there's nothing undeveloped with these characters once we're through. Solid as a rock and tight as a drum, White Night is a fantastic and competent thriller that should not be missed by fans of the genre.

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Fish Story (Japan, 2009)

In the year 2012 a comet approaches earth, threatening to end civilization when it impacts. On the streets of Japan, a single music store remains open, its proprietor insisting to his customers that the world is not coming to an end. He plays a forgotten song recorded by an obscure band 37 years ago, and insists that somehow, this song will save the world.

Fish Story is a funny and kind of strange film. A song that will save the world? How? Well, I guess you just have to see the film to find out. It follows several different characters down their own storyline, and binds them together in a great way. It's a film that'll put you in a good mood, and that's the kind of film you want.

Genre: Drama/Comedy

Meat Grinder (Thailand, 2009)

Buss is a disturbed woman who hears voices in her head and is tormented by visions. Having been taught some pretty dubious and unconventional food preparation and cooking skills by her mother, she decides to open up a noodle stall, using the body of a man left over from a riot as the main ingredient. Soon enough, the customers are turning up in droves for her delicious meals, and life is starting to look good for her. However, her past comes back to haunt her, and as her mental state breaks down, yet more people end up on the chopping block.

Meat Grinder is a horror film where the visual presentation is a cut above the rest, and we're treated to some really beautifully shot scenes and use of colors. Sure it's also nasty with some dismemberment and bloody killings, but it's nice to see a horror film where the camera work is as interesting as the gore.

Genre: Horror

Living Death (South Korea, 2009)

A college student named Hee-jin returns home when her 14-year-old sister So-jin goes missing. Her mother, a fanatic churchgoer, resorts to prayer and refuses to work with the lazy police to find So-jin. Meanwhile, a neighbor commits suicide and leaves a will for So-jin, and Hee-jin hears rumors that her sister had been possessed. The whereabouts of So-jin become increasingly elusive and the dead neighbor begins appearing in Hee-jin's dreams.

Living Death (a.k.a. Possessed) is a fantastic thriller that barely has any flaws at all. It delivers an eerie and ghostly atmosphere, plays on the more subtle horror strings rather than just gory shock value, and in the end, just proves to be exactly what you want when you're tired of the same horror formula being repeated over and over again. 

Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller

City of Life and Death (China, 2009)

Set in 1937, shortly after the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Imperial Japanese Army has just captured Nanjing, capital of the Republic of China. What followed is historically known as the Nanjing Massacre, a period of several weeks wherein massive numbers of Chinese prisoners of war and civilians were killed.

One of the best historical epics ever made. It's a horrifying and brutal portrayal of one of the darkest pages in human history, where almost 300,000 lives were taken. Director Lu Chuan is a master behind the camera and doesn't leave a single detail out, making it a more effective and violent experience. It's definitely reminiscent of Schindler's List (1993), with shockingly violent scenes, being filmed in black-and-white and also based on true events. An unforgettable masterpiece about the cruelty mankind is capable of.

Genre: Drama/History/War

Last Train Home (Canada/China, 2009)

Every spring, China's cities are plunged into chaos as 130 million migrant workers travel back to their home villages for the New Year's holiday. This mass exodus is the world's largest human migration, an epic spectacle that exposes a nation tragically caught between its rural past and industrial future. Working over several years in classic cinéma vérité style, director Lixin Fan travelled with one couple who have embarked on this annual trek for almost two decades. 

Last Train Home is a documentary that depicts one family's struggles and hardships and observes them as they try to unite for the holidays. New York Times picked Last Train Home as one of the most outstanding works from the 2010 Sundance by characterizing it as "a beautifully shot, haunting and haunted large scale portrait." The director, Lixin Fan, has a way of making you feel like a 'fly on the wall', like you're always there in the background, always hearing the conflicts, the fights and discussions about the future. A very personal and amazing film.

Running Turtle (South Korea, 2009)

Jo Pil-seong, a rural detective, is an unhappy husband, often blamed by his wife for gambling. Despite her being hard on him, he steals money from her to bet on bull butting. Fortunately, he chalks up an unexpected win, but his luck, by no means, lasts long because his money gets snatched by an escaped prisoner.

Running Turtle is a highly entertaining thriller with some comic relief thrown in for good measure. The well-directed fight scenes and likable cast makes this another solid chase-film from South Korea. Recommended for viewers who like the 'cat and mouse'-style in thrillers.

Genre: Comedy/Crime/Drama

Summer Wars (Japan, 2009)

The film tells the story of Kenji, a timid eleventh-grade math genius who is taken to the hometowns of his crush Natsuki, to celebrate her great-grandmother's 90th birthday. However, he is falsely implicated in the hacking of a virtual world by an artificial intelligence. Kenji must repair the damage done to the virtual world and he must find a way to stop the artificial intelligence from causing any further damage.

Hailed as one of the best animated films in recent years, Summers Wars shows pretty fast that it's a force to be reckoned with. It's both a sci-fi inspired adventure with the insanity level on top, and also a subtle, quiet drama that excels in how to show human emotions. 

Directed by Mamoru Hosoda, who also made the brilliant The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

Genre: Adventure/Sci-Fi

Ju-on: White Ghost (Japan, 2009)

At a certain house, a father brutally and methodically murders all five of his family members, before hanging himself. Years later,  every person who comes in contact with the house is being haunted by the victims ghosts. 

As part of a tenth year anniversary of the Ju-on series, White Ghost (a.k.a. Old Lady In White) was released together with Ju-on: Black Ghost. In my opinion, White Ghost is the better one. Every scene with the old lady is terrifying, and that throat sound is just as haunting as ever.

Genre: Horror

A Brand New Life (South Korea, 2009)

Young Jinhee is taken by her father to an orphanage near Seoul. He leaves her there never to return, and she struggles to come to grips with her fate. Jinhee desperately believes her father will come back for her and take her on a trip.

A great film that shows abandonment from a child's perspective, and with talented young actresses. The young lead actress, Sae-ron Kim, will become a huge hit in the future of South Korean cinema. Trust me.

Genre: Drama

Air Doll (Japan, 2009)

Middle-aged Hideo lives alone with an inflatable doll he calls Nozomi. The doll is his closest companion. He dresses it up, talks to it over dinner, takes it out for walks in the community (with the doll in a wheel chair) and has sexual intercourse with it. However, unbeknown to Hideo, Nozomi finds a heart. After Hideo leaves for work each day, Nozomi dresses in her maid's outfit and explores the world outside their apartment with a sense of child-like wonder.

Air Doll portrays the loneliness of modern urban life, and the difficulty of friendships. A pretty and odd little movie with many scenes that are just as beautiful as its instrumental and minimalistic soundtrack. Directed by one of my favorite contemporary Japanese film makers, Hirokazu Koreeda (Still Walking, Nobody Knows). Its starts off as a quirky coming-of-age story, but gets more and more complex and takes some unpredictable and very dark turns along the way. 

Genre: Drama/Fantasy

Breathless (South Korea, 2009)

A loan shark named Sang Hoon finds himself striking a friendship with a troubled schoolgirl, Yeon Hee, as he faces his own troubled past with his abusive father.

A moving film about domestic violence and broken down families. The main character is practically the scum of the earth, so you'll want to see how he develops throughout the movie. The soundtrack is also great, and I love how the soft violins clashes with the raw plot.

Genre: Crime/Drama